Kyle Shanahan refutes Jay Glazer’s Jauan Jennings report, confirms 49ers FaceTime

One former 49ers receiver is expected back in their building Friday for the first time in almost a year, but Brandon Aiyuk won’t be the solution to San Francisco’s injury woes at the position.

Well, unless …

“There’s no absolutes in life,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday, all but shooting down any chance of Aiyuk ever suiting up for the 49ers again, despite his application for reinstatement.

That doesn’t mean the 49ers aren’t still in search of players who could bolster a receiving corps that may get Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robinson back this week but is still undermanned compared to where it was when training camp opened at the start of August.

General manager John Lynch arranged one reunion with the trade for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, and he isn’t the only old friend the 49ers have tried to bring back in the fold.

Shanahan confirmed on Wednesday that the 49ers attempted to swing a deal for Jauan Jennings and that the Vikings were amenable to it but, in the end, Jennings said no, thank you.

“It wasn’t, like, a definite no at first,” Shanahan said. “But he was like, ‘Man, Kyle, I’m pretty happy. I’m liking stuff.’ When I heard the way he talked and where we’re at, I agreed with him. It was a good conversation and something that was possible, but that’s why it didn’t go down.”

Jennings led the 49ers with 643 receiving yards last season and was second to George Kittle with 975 in 2024, but he left for a contract worth up to $13 million with the Vikings. He reportedly envisioned a larger role that hasn’t materialized, with only six catches on 10 targets in six games. But Shanahan clarified that there was no “bad blood” between the two sides.

Jay Glazer’s initial report on Fox’s pregame show Sunday said that Jennings had scuttled the deal and turned down an offer to FaceTime with 49ers brass. Shanahan said that wasn’t true.

“We talked for a while,” Shanahan said. “He FaceTimed me. … It was a good talk. But he’s with good people, he likes where he’s at and I thought it made sense what he said.”

It’s safe to say that of the two former 49ers receivers, Jennings is in better standing than Aiyuk.

“We love Jauan,” Shanahan said. “We have such a good relationship with Jauan and know him real well. We didn’t want to do it without talking to him first.”

While that trade didn’t work out, Lynch and the front office are still doing their due diligence ahead of Tuesday’s 1 p.m. PT trade deadline. San Francisco could still use help at receiver, with rookie De’Zhaun Stribling still “probably over a month away,” per Shanahan.

The 49ers are exhausting all their options, not just targeting receivers or former players.

“It’s what personnel people do,” Shanahan said. “They look every week to see who you can add week in and week out and it gets bigger as the trade deadline comes. But JJ was someone we knew, so it was someone we wanted to talk to if we went through with that. And they were willing to do it at the time. So we wanted to have a conversation with him knowing the guy. Receiver is something we’re still looking into, and so is every other position.”